The Coven
by thfourteenth
Summary: OT5 (Ryo/Fuji/Tez/Yuki/Ato) AU; Fuji, Tezuka, Atobe and Yukimura are Heads of a Vampire Coven. Ryoma is a vampire hunter. When Ryoma comes crashing into their Coven one night, the vampires find themselves interested, and amused. Ryoma doesn't understand how scary vampires can get.
1. Chapter 1

Chpt 1

_**Author**__ thinks she's really such a dumbass. She's hasn't even finished her other two fanfiction yet she's here, writing another one. Both aren't even halfway through. What is she doing…? Reviews for her madness? _

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters that appear in PoT. Perhaps, this story is from inspirations, from everywhere and anywhere, above and beyond.

Atobe looked boredly at the pair of vampires in front of him. They had brought back what they call an offering to the Head of the Coven. Heads, in fact, Atobe chastised himself. Mustn't forget his other lovers, he turned his gaze to Fuji, who had a female vampire cooing all over him. He swatted her away like an annoying fly and told her to get on all fours; she'd be better as a foot stool. The female vampire whimpered. Fuji coddled her; telling her he was joking, giving her a glamorous smile and then told her, "Sweet pie, I want to taste that blueberry pie down the road."

"I would get anything for you, Master!" the female vampire cried enthusiastically.

Fuji made a big show of sighing, "Alas! They are only opened in the day… Would you still get them for me, love?"

The female vampire shrunk back; vampires cannot be out in the day.

"More's a pity, get it else I'll never see you again," said Fuji, emotionlessly.

Atobe chuckled inwardly; Fuji did have some sense of sadistic streak in him. Everyone knows vampires themselves do not have the sense of taste, yet Fuji wants the female vampire to obtain blueberry pies. It was an impossible task. Tezuka said something about besides the heightened basal senses and increased physical abilities, the rest of their cells were run by the power that runs the night. Although their body still pumped calmly with their previous blood meal the night before, they were basically dead.

He glanced back at the stoic man; Tezuka was reading The Social Contract, written by Rousseau, an old friend of Tezuka. It was an old book but still kept better in crisp conditions; it was the original copy that Tezuka had obtained personally from the hands of Rousseau.

He turned his attention back to the two vampires in front of him. He might play king in the Coven, but all knew who the Heads of the Coven were. There were 4 of them. Keigo, the self-proclaimed king, Fuji, the genius, Tezuka, the respected one who handles the paper work and Yukimura, the widely feared Torturer. Yukimura was out tonight, hunting.

The 4 of them had shared the same Maker. She was one who collected them all, based on their strengths and quirks. She never favored a particular one of them, yet favors them all. She was much adored by them. A century ago she went into the light, making them promise to be safe. They had widened her Coven, making it the most powerful in name, in strength and in power. They had taken a lot of pride to choose the best. But overtime, quality control may be difficult to keep. Tezuka swears the generations are changing; the turning of blood may warp some personalities but the strengths still remain.

The 4 of them still shared their private Coven, behind closed doors, mourning the loss of their Maker, sometimes within the comforts of their oversized bed.

Atobe sighed. From what he had gathered from the 2 vampires in front of him, there had been rumors flying about the Coven that there was competition to gain his attention and interest.

"And how might you achieve it, plebeians, by bringing me… this?" Atobe made a careless gesture with his right hand, referring to a naked female, unconscious, laid in front of him.

"Sire, we hoped this might interest you. She's untouched and chose specially for you," one of the vampires smiled brightly at him.

Atobe growled, fangs bared, "Fools! You would only gain attention from the towns! What had Yukimura warned you about!" There had been careless killings lately, attracting attention of their kind. Humans were kept in the dark about them, but that didn't mean they could do just about anything they wanted. Though they were not the only Coven of vampires in the vicinity, they didn't want to take any chances.

The 2 vampires whimpered at his feet, "Please, don't send us to him! We meant no harm!"

"Send me who?"

A gust of cold wind blew into throne room; the 2 vampires shivered. Yukimura appeared standing at the left of Atobe, one elbow propped on the other's shoulder.

"Varden and Toms, for you," Fuji replied, stalking towards Yukimura from the seat below the elevated platform. Yukimura stretched out his free arm to anticipate Fuji's arrival. Fuji clasped his left hand into Yukimura's, who had brought it to his lips and glossed over it. Fuji shivered, delightfully; a smile appeared on Yukimura's face.

"Just send them to clean the house. Be off with it, Varden and Toms. You have been warned." Tezuka's voice rang out from behind. He was getting annoyed at the simpering of the 2 vampires. He felt a headache coming up.

Ryoma's head hit the wooden tables with a hard knock. The whole council of vampire hunters turned to stare at him.

"Are we done yet?"

The council was called to an urgent meeting after 5 bodies were found early that night, bled dry. Ryoma was the youngest in the council, yet having made highest count of 87 kills by the age 21 made him the best. Even his father had barely reached 80 when he was 21. His trainer, Sumire, was shaking her head at him.

"I just don't see why we couldn't bust our way into their house and confront them about it?" Ryoma was not a believer of violence, but he knew the necessity of it. "We do know the address."

One of the elders, Nickson, glared at him, "Kid, they are mindless killing machines. And confront them in their territory, you must be dumb!"

"Why not? Or we could do your way, Nicky, drive a stake through their hearts?"

"Nickson, boy! Mind your manners!"

"Shush you two! Ryoma, apologize," said Sumire. Ryoma mumbled something under his breath. Sumire looked at him with her warm eyes, "Ryoma, there are about hundreds of vampires housed there, we cannot go in! It's too dangerous!"

"Whatever, I'm out of here. You can continue to discuss this while more bodies are been found. Have a good day, Nick."

The elder roared at him, about to lurch out of his chair. Sumire pushed him back down, a palm firmly placed on Nickson's chest, enough strength to warn Nickson that a fight between Nickson and her student, she would definitely take Ryoma's side.

Ryoma stalked out of the room and slammed the door shut.


	2. Chapter 2

Chpt 2

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters that appear in PoT. Perhaps, this story is from inspirations, from everywhere and anywhere, above and beyond.

Ryoma lay on his bed, spinning a wooden stake in his hand, the other arm curled up behind his head, propping it up. The elders are dumb. The council is dumb. This whole business is dumb. But the killings… Ryoma caught the stake, lives aren't dumb. He got to do something.

"5 killings tonight, explain it!" Atobe roared at the assembly of vampires. They were in the main hall, or throne room as Atobe liked to call it. The room was still.

"We could always proceed to the Red Room, right?" smiled Yukimura.

Fuji had his legs propped up on another male vampire, "We could smell your fear, step out now, whoever you are."

Somebody got kicked out from the ranks, and she stumbled out of the crowd. As if on cue, the crowd parted and she lay on the cold black marble floor, alone.

"Forgive me, Masters! I mean no harm! I… I got carried away!"

"Whose line is she?" asked Tezuka.

Fuji leaned closer, as if squinting at the female vampire, memorising, "Rosary, from Ji Han, from Cavis, from Sulou, oh! She's from my line!"

Rosary scrambled on the floor to collapse at Fuji's feet, touching the hem of his clothes, "Please, master, please!" Fuji let out a wind of power and Rosary was blown back feets away from where she originally came from. As usual, the crowd parted like waters. Rosary crumbled on the floor, curled up like a baby, streams from blood coming out from underneath her. She sobbed, streaks of blood coming out from her eyes.

"Who hunts with her? She's can't be alone. Five bodies… FIVE!" demanded Tezuka.

Nobody moved.

Yukimura stretched his hands and curled them forward in a swift motion, 6 other vampires flew out from the mass and was thrown onto the floor.

He flexed his fingers, "I went out hunting today; I saw you all together."

"Have mercy!" cried the vampires.

Atobe's eyes turned a solid purple, "No."

The 6 vampires started to crumble inwards, as if their bodies were folding inwards, the skins starting to sink inwards, eyes bulging. Rosary started to scream as she saw the vampires crumble.

"Getting carried away I understand, but not owning up to it, _that_ I don't. Let this serve as a reminder to never lie in front of us, we are your Heads, your Masters. We demand that you respect the Coven and rules that we set." Atobe's voice cut through the air.

"Yes, Master." chorused the vampires.

Suddenly, a knock from the door was heard. All the vampires heard it.

"Rosary, open the door," asked Fuji, with a sick smile.

The female vampire got up from the floor with difficulty, "Yes, Master." She held herself straight, as if her bones were creaking back into space. Though she looked a little contorted, she walked as though she was fine.

Ryoma had decided that he'll pay a visit down the street to the vampires' house. Scratch that, it was a freaking mansion. Maybe it was large enough to be called a castle, but instead of a moat, it was surrounded by hectares of land. Why had nobody human realized how odd it is for a large remote castle to be sitting in miles of land? Ryoma shrugged, mind powers? Or just really good paper work?

He walked up the stretch of road leading up to the door, no bodyguards, no door guards… Queer. From the way the Council had described it, it was as if the house was filled with dead traps and shooting arrows that stopped trespassers. Then again, such a house in the middle of nowhere kind of turns off visitors, gangs and hooligans might wreck the house, but from what Ryoma can see, the entrance walls were pretty clean except for some plants growing on the walls. Ryoma had his stakes ready, one in his hand, three for backup under his shirt, near to his hands. His other hand held a gun, with wooden-metal bullets holding holy water as ammunition.

He rang the doorbell and waited. There was no commotion. Ryoma resisted the urge to giggle. What was he expecting? A voice from within to say, "I'm coming!" and open the door to see a vampire in aprons and a bright smile, "Oh hello!"? Ryoma was deep in his thoughts when the door opened.

Ryoma came face to face with a bloody female vampire that had her fangs descended from her mouth. Upon born instincts, Ryoma drove the stake into her heart. The female vampire had not expected a vampire hunter standing behind the door and was in moments of shock. Those few moments cost her her eternity.

The body dissipated into dust. Ryoma cursed, now how was he supposed to ask about the bodies? He contemplated stepping into the house, would that be considered rude?

Rosary didn't return, the vampires begun to stir. Keigo had a hand over his head, propped on his throne arm.

"Gavin, go check," Atobe called on one of his trusted vampires from his line. A handsome face bowed and stepped out of the hall in brisk steps.

Upon thinking, Ryoma decided standing around wasn't a good idea. He figured walking in was alright, after all, vampires aren't humans. They wouldn't care if you had bad manners just by walking into their house right? Ryoma stepped through the door way, careful not to step on the puddle of dust. Although it was just dust, Ryoma still hadn't gotten over the fact that a minute ago it was still walking and talking like a normal human. Ryoma, the great vampire hunter, squeamish over some dust. He walked in and froze, a vampire stepped from behind a corner. Ryoma immediately shot him in the shoulder. The vampire roared and rushed forward in attack. Ryoma threw a stake forward and the vampire knocked it away. He howled when the bullet hit him in the shoulder but it didn't kill him. Ryoma narrowly missed the vampire with his fast reaction and darted pass him, moving further into the house. He skidded past a door and something in his head told him to turn. He was facing a whole assembly of vampires. The vampire that came out from the door crashed into him and pinned him on the floor. Ryoma kicked up at the abdomen; he was small enough to aim there and used the stake in his hand and aimed it straight into the temple of the vampire on top of him, saliva spitting out from his mouth, handsome face contorted. The vampire had a hand over his throat that let go upon the hit in his head by the stake. Ryoma kicked at the vampire again when he had been distracted over a fatal hit in the head. The vampire was knocked backwards which gave Ryoma time to shuffle backwards on his hands. He quickly whipped out his gun with his left hand and shot the vampire straight into the heart. The vampire's eyes widened and he burst into dust. Ryoma coughed and stood up, dusting himself. He looked up; he had gained the attention of all the vampires in the room.

He cleared his throat and walked into the room.

"Hey, uhm, could you guys stop killing people?"


	3. Chapter 3

Chpt 3

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters that appear in PoT. Perhaps, this story is from inspirations, from everywhere and anywhere, above and beyond.

Ryoma stared. The vampires stared. The leaders, whom Ryoma assumed were the ones seated on top of the stairs, stared.

Then the uproar started.

The vampires lurched at Ryoma, who had immediately whipped up his gun, loaded, safety off. He shot the first two vampires straight in the heart, bursting into dust. With a spin, he kicked another two, right foot, left foot. With an adrenaline rush and a smirk on Ryoma's face, his hunter skills kicked in.

But Ryoma was no ordinary hunter; he is a hunter by blood.

He made a dash through the hall, using his momentum, he leaped on two vampires, given him an edge up into the head before cracking their heads with a kick in the neck joint. Sadly, that would only slow them down, not kill them. He shot another five more vampires in the chest area. Then his gun clicked empty. The vampires started coming down on him like vultures. Ryoma narrowly missed getting his arms ripped out; his sleeves reduced to shreds, his arms bleeding like a burst pipe. The vampires' eyes lit up the hall like willow o wisps on a dark night.

Ryoma cursed.

A vampire leaped onto his back and attempted to dislocate his body into pieces. Ryoma tumbled forward- a bad move, the vampires started to pile. In fact, only the younger ones, Ryoma suspect were left to do the dirty work. He vaguely saw a circle made around him to watch the spectacular.

Hunter's blood rushed his body.

Ryoma felt himself turn hotter and hotter by the minute as he fought off the vampires around him. It was at this moment Ryoma knew his eyes had started to glow gold. Some of the vampires around him gasped; some faltered and Ryoma took the opportunity to stake them. Two down, four more to go.

Ryoma swore. Four was only the number attacking him. Looking at the 'audience' there has got to be hundreds more. Power build up in him, he brought his elbow down and aimed it at the shoulder of a vampire and did a crotch kick in another. Dancing around the vampires, he managed to stake another two more. One of the last two pounced on him and forced him back onto the floor with the vampire on top of him. Spittle sprayed everywhere as the vampire faced him. Ryoma punched the vampire. In turn he pounced on top of the vampire and staked it. He whirled around looking for the last one to see that it was writhing on the floor.

A crash came from the platform. One of the vampires had stood up abruptly; the one who had another vampire as a foot stool. In a blink of eye, the vampire was standing in front of him, no sound, except for a slight wind, a slight billow in the coat the vampire wore. He stood so closely to Ryoma that their clothes touched.

One of the leaders from the throne had come down.

He glanced at the platform, all the vampire leaders stood up, staring at him. The one who had entered the circle had a hand on the vampire writhing on the floor. With a jerk of his hand, the other vampire's head was wrenched off. It rolled off somewhere. Then the body disintegrated.

Ryoma glared at all the vampires; chest heaving slightly although his stamina is good but taking on so many vampires at one time had a toll on him. He knew his eyes were still that odd gold glow. He had asked Sumire about it before. She shrugged and told him it was probably his hunter's blood. But when he asked if his father had it, Sumire shook her head. The others who had hunter's blood didn't have weird glowing eyes either. The others never felt adrenaline rush. The others never felt power. Ryoma shook his head, trying to keep a straight head in this situation.

Ryoma thought the vampire had a weird look on his face. Did he smell or something?

The vampire yanked his head up with his thumb and forefingers, a tight grip on his chin.

One of the vampire from the stage, the one with the exaggerated regal throne-like chair, asked, "What do you see Fuji?"

"Mistress's eyes."

The vampire called Fuji's eyes soften, a blue glow emitting from the irises of his eyes, then he grabbed Ryoma into a hug.


	4. Chapter 4

Chpt 4

_**The Author**__ is extremely apologetic with the delay! There's been much tests and exams and reality just sucks out the imagination __**she **__has for all the different universes that __**she**__ holds for all __**her **__stories! Read and review, maybe? _

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters that appear in PoT. Perhaps, this story is from inspirations, from everywhere and anywhere, above and beyond.

Ryoma stiffened. He felt as if he was missing a part of the picture but he doesn't know what. All he knows is the throbbing pain in his arms and his body felt distantly disjointed.

Fuji released suddenly, eyes locked onto the bleeding arm. Ryoma thought the vampire might just launch himself at the free-flow of liquid diet platter in front of him. Instead the vampire swopped down in a quick movement and caught Ryoma under the knees, carrying him up, holding him against his chest as if Ryoma weighed nothing. Fuji looked at his lovers, something passed between their eyes. Then Fuji swept him up and darkness descended on Ryoma.

Ryoma felt underneath him. Ryoma ran his arm and hands outstretched, feeling the texture of silk; Ryoma approves. He stretched like his limbs, feeling the flowing silk run beneath his skin, his movements akin to a cat's flexibility. Ryoma had never felt so energized. All his energy felt well-spent, which was something that rarely happened to him. Most of his kills took the energy of lifting a wooden stick and a punch, literally. Ryoma enjoyed a good fight. That is, he couldn't remember ending the fight, or having silk bedsheets.

Ryoma's eyes snapped open, with quick reflex he leaped off the bed and wanted to crouch low beside the bed, hands going for short sword under his shirt. He didn't plan well; you do not leap off the bed without even looking at your surroundings.

Ryoma ended up crashing into an armchair, place impeccably close in Ryoma's opinion to the bed and into a body. Ryoma called it a body because it was flesh, yet somehow it wasn't living flesh. His hand already whipped out the sword. Ryoma swears he's having a concussion, his head having hit the wooden backrest of the tall armchair.

"Calm down, hunter," the person steadying him under said.

Ryoma leaped away from him at first chance; the person let him go, and he ended up on the bed again.

"He's like an animal, so instinctive!" said someone. Ryoma turned around to the voice to see a vampire with his nose a little turned up, sniffing.

"And you're like a monkey," retorted Ryoma.

A gentle looking vampire with blue hair and eyes laughed. His laughter was like chimes ringing in the morning spring breeze. He smiled, "He sounds like her too!"

"She always called him monkey king," said the vampire Ryoma recognised had hugged him.

While the four vampires were talking, Ryoma had already slid off the bed, tidied it up and was approaching the door.

"Where are you going, hunter?" Asked Monkey King.

"Out?"

Ryoma blinked and suddenly the door had slammed shut and the gentle vampire stood in front of it, guarding the door.

"Yeah, out. Home?"

The gentle vampire looked at Ryoma with his soft blue eyes, "But you can't go."

"Why not?"

"Because we just found you."

A hand touched Ryoma's shoulders and he flinched. He quickly step away from the direction of the hand. No wait, there's another one by the door and the Monkey King is standing at the other direction which leaves Ryoma back facing a wardrobe, in the corner of the room. Ryoma doesn't know if there's anybody in the wardrobe, or if it would be a good idea to back face it since he has no idea what is in it. But between a wardrobe and four vampires, he can handle back facing the wardrobe.

The hand turned out to be from the vampire that had hugged him, brown hair, brown eyes. Ryoma shook himself mentally; stop getting so mesmerised by them!

"Calm down, Yukimura just misses her," he said, voice softening, "And you are just like her."

"The last time I checked, I'm a boy." Ryoma noted the gentle vampire with blue eyes and lovely laughter was called Yukimura. He has got to stop noticing how they look like.

"He said you are _like_ her, not her!" retorted the Monkey King.

"I know, stupid Monkey King."

"I'm Atobe!"

"Whatever, Monkey King."

"And I'm Tezuka," said the one quietly sitting in the arm chair. He spoke with control and rationality, a soft smile lighting up his brown eyes. Ryoma noted that they were of a darker shade.

"I'm Fuji," said the smiling one who hugged him.

Ryoma stared. Is he supposed to introduce himself to the vampires, whom he is supposedly to kill, according to the manual for vampire hunters?

"You have to tell us your name," demanded Atobe.

"Ryoma. And I have to go."

"Has anyone told you why your eyes glow red?"

Ryoma cursed inwardly; they totally ignored his statement. And moreover he didn't tell anyone he was coming here.

Ryoma shrugged, "Hunter's blood."

"Pfft! Hunters are humans! No matter what blood, their eyes don't glow red!"

Ryoma's eyes widened, "It's hunter's blood. I'm a descendant from a line of hunters."

"And she used to joke that if she had a chance she'll want to be a hunter," said Yukimura softly.

"Who's she?" asked Ryoma.

"Our mistress," said Fuji.

"Fuji! Stop telling the hunter everything!" growled Atobe.

"I'm Ryoma," said Ryoma. Well, if they asked for his name, they better well use it.

"Our mistress used to have eyes that glowed red," said Tezuka. He rose from his chair in liquid flexibility that no humans could ever achieve. Humans just have joints and bones that didn't allow for such movements. Apparently this doesn't apply to vampires; they probably had ages to manage such grace. He walked over to the bed side closer to Ryoma and sat down.

"Listen, Ryoma, humans do not have glowing eyes. Only vampires do. And it's a mark of power and of status. Our mistress just happened to have glowing red eyes, just like you."

Ryoma shrugged, "Okay, so I'm not human?"

The 4 vampires looked at each other.

"We don't know, but we had a lot to think while you were sleeping. And we think you are a reincarnation of our Mistress."

Ryoma looked from Tezuka to Atobe to Fuji and Yukimura, "Uhm, yay?"


	5. Chapter 5

Chpt 5

_OH MY GOSH, I'VE JUST REALIZED THAT MY PARTIAL BREAKS IN BETWEEN MY STORIES DOES NOT APPEAR IN FANFICTION AS IT APPEARS IN WORD DOCUMENT. NO WONDER I WAS GETTING REVIEWS ABOUT MY WEIRD TIMELINE! Oh, and a factual error as I re-read my story, Ryoma's eyes are __gold__, not red. _

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters that appear in PoT. Perhaps, this story is from inspirations, from everywhere and anywhere, above and beyond.

* * *

The bloody vampires wouldn't let him leave.

Ryoma lay on the bed, arms behind his head propping it up. He stared at the ceiling. It was surprisingly clean when the house was so old. It creaked, Ryoma was sure; there had been sounds all night long throughout the house. Old houses tended to have cow-webs, no? This house didn't. A spider scuttled across the ceiling. Suddenly, a ceiling panel board creaked open and swallowed the spider.

Ryoma sat up. The spider was gone. The board creaked back into its original space; the ceiling was once more flawless.

Wow. The house was… alive?

The boyish kiddish nature of Ryoma peaked up, "Cool."

He settled back onto the bed, "I seriously need to contact Sumire and that old man." It wasn't like he didn't have a hand phone. It's the 21st century for goodness sake, of course he had one, but that doesn't mean he uses it often. Also, bringing it with him on trips like this would cause serious damages to it and he wasn't likely to go back down to the shop to purchase another! The first he been squashed flat when he landed on his bum; he'd remember that, 5 shards of hand phone glass in his ass. The second had dropped out of his pocket when he was running away from an ogre and it squashed it. The third was incinerated with a zombie when he stuffed it into the zombie's mouth to stop it from eating out his brains and it burned up together with the zombie when Ryoma lighted up the fire thrower. There were countless others but Ryoma lost track after the third one. Now, he just left the phone at home. Where is he going to get one now?

"I bloody need a phone!" growled Ryoma. He tried the lock again.

Suddenly the house started to creak, like an old creaky chair. It was whining and squeaky, groaning and moaning. One of the planks on the ceiling came loose and out popped a hand phone that landed squarely on the bed.

"Cool," said Ryoma as he gingerly approached the bed. He picked up the phone. It was a new phone, iphone4S, in red. He didn't know they made it in red. He switched it on and dang, there was a password.

Ryoma scoffed, was a stupid password going to stop him from calling back home?

"Look, we should do something about that twerp," said Atobe.

"Aww look at you, all sweetening up to our little kitten already!" giggled Fuji.

"Am not!"

"Am too!" smiled Fuji.

"Cut it out, you guys. Behave yourself, we have a problem here," said Tezuka calmly, although he did feel a migraine.

Yukimura was sharpening his sword in the corner, "We could keep him here, with us. You know…"

Fuji went over and engulfed Yukimura in a hug, "Poor thing, you must have missed her a lot, haven't you?" Yukimura was the youngest of them all. The last to have joined the inner coven, last to see her go.

"Careful of the-"

"Ouch! That stings!" cursed Fuji.

"Let me see," said Yukimura, nursing a small cut on Fuji's arm, "Want me to lick it all better?" A glint appeared in Yukimura's eyes, all trace of unsureness gone, pretence of wide innocence replaced. Yukimura gave a tiny lick that brought Fuji shivering over that slight caress. Fuji took Yukimura by the mouth, tasting his own blood and using his fangs to nick Yukimura in the mouth, sucking gently.

"Come on you guys, go get a room!" groaned Atobe.

"Gladly!" With a cold blasting wind, both Yukimura and Fuji were gone.

"Those two…"

"Calm down, Atobe. Why don't you go see our little kitten?"

"No," said Atobe stubbornly. He stalked over to Tezuka and pulled out his glasses, "Why do you still wear them after so many centuries?" Vampires have perfect eyesight.

Tezuka rubbed his nose bridge, "Habit I guess, Tommaso always made sure I was first to try his spyglasses."

"Darling, that was 700 years ago."

"Habit."

"Then is this a habit as well?" Atobe swopped down like an eagle eyeing his prey as he caught Tezuka's lips and kissed him, forcing his tongue in as Tezuka gagged a little at the sudden entry. Tezuka squirmed slightly in his chair as they both fought for dominance in his unique display of fencing. At long last they came up for air, breathing.

"Habit," smiled Atobe.

"One that cannot to cured," smiled Tezuka. Atobe grabbed Tezuka roughly by his clothes as he dragged him all the way to Tezuka's room behind the coven's fireplace.

* * *

"Sumire?"

"Ryoma?! Where are you? Where have you been all these while! Do you know how worried your father and I were?" She really was relentless.

"Damn it, let me speak. I'm… on a mission."

"Mission? What mission? I didn't send you on a mission! Oh my gosh, Ryoma, have you….?"

Ryoma cut her off, "Does every single mission have to be sent by you? Look, I just called to tell you I'll handle it."

"Ryoma! You get back here this very instant and call off your so-called mission! You are deep trouble, mister!"

"Mada mada dane, I'll never leave a job undone."

Ryoma hung up. Now he got to find a way to settle the problem.


	6. Chapter 6

Chpt 6

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters that appear in PoT. Perhaps, this story is from inspirations, from everywhere and anywhere, above and beyond.

* * *

Ryoma kicked the door. The room groaned, but the door did not budge. Ryoma turned around and walked to the other end of the room before running in the fastest speed possible in that short space, aiming for a flying kick at the door. He hit the door with a bang before collapsing on the floor in a messy bundle. Ryoma sighed.

"Damn. If I was the freaking incarnation of their Mistress, then why wouldn't the door open?!"

The door answered with an equally loud bang.

"Damn you, house! I am demanding you to answer to me! This is no way to treat its guest!" Ryoma shook his head; he must be going mad, talking to a house, much less a house belonging to vampires. The tall arm chair in the corner started moving at a high speed to Ryoma before a plank on the floor flicked Ryoma up, aiming him into the middle of the seat, the other way around. Apparently the house has no sense of direction. It has made Ryoma its 'guest' by making sure he sat on the chair instead of the floor.

"Okay…" Maybe the house needs a little bossing around.

"As the reincarnation of the Mistress, I'm entitled to the right to this house and I want this door open now."

The door opened.

"Now this is what I'm talking about," said Ryoma as he walked out of the room leisurely.

* * *

Ryoma stepped out into the _long_ corridor, no kidding, it looks almost endless! How big is this house anyway? A door on his right opened. A vampire (Ryoma assumes it's a vampire, being this their house after all) stepped out, hair still neatly in place as if gel to the skin of his scalp. He turned and saw Ryoma and bowed, low. Ryoma cocked his head at that gesture; vampires do not bow at those they hunt, or hunts them.

"Mistress, good evening."

Ah, so it was the early of an evening. Ryoma bet this was one of the older and more prominent vampires in the house, seeing how the house is in dead silence yet this one was awake. Wait, did he just call him a 'Mistress'?!

"I am male," Ryoma gestured at his body.

The vampire's eyes followed Ryoma's hand gesture down the body, lingering a little longer at the part where a large blood vessel flows along the thighs. The vampire looked a little hazed, before snapping back into attention at Ryoma.

"Yes, but we've been informed the Mistress has returned… in a different… form."

"Oh, and you are?" Ryoma didn't really want to dispute them on their theory of their long-lost Mistress. It did give him some form of security in the house. After all, _the_ house had claimed so too. How wrong can a house get?

"Darius Ritz-Colton, 17th Red Knight of Ireland," the vampire knelt on one knee.

"He's a dear isn't he?" Fuji stood at a further distance away, arms crossed and leaning on the wall of the corridor. "He's one of Atobe; he so likes to collect knights and suchlikes. But he's now one of ours and a loyal one at that- an old friend."

Darius turned to bow at Fuji, "Fuji."

"Darius." Fuji returned the greeting.

Ryoma felt this urge to place his hand on Darius's head. A certain small twinge in him felt this compelling need to address the red-headed knight of the past world, a feeling of wondrousness, wonderment, longing and relief, a mirage of feelings that he'd didn't think he would have felt had he solely been Ryoma. Ryoma, on a whim, placed his hand on Darius's head. Fuji swore for a moment he saw a flare of gold light in Ryoma's eyes, which had softened upon his touch on Darius.

"Darius."

Ryoma echoed Fuji, his name sounding like a distant dream. Ryoma felt a certain memory lightening up before he snapped out of it. "Sounds cool, a red knight. The only line of knighthood in Ireland that is active. Being a secret line always had its benefits."

Darius looked up into Ryoma's eyes, "But Ryoma, I haven't mentioned anything about the red knights being a secret hereditary knighthood."

Ryoma blinked. Right, Ireland only has green, white and black. He never heard of red, nor did he even know they were secret or active. This knowledge…

"Right… I've read it… somewhere."

"Come Ryoma, let us introduce you to our world." Fuji reached out for Ryoma's hand and pulled him around Darius, leading him further down the corridor.

Darius stood up and looked back at the retreating small figure of the hunter. The Mistress has indeed returned.

* * *

Fuji led Ryoma down the long end of corridor till they reached a winding stairs up a tower.

"Spiffy, a corner tower."

Fuji smiled, "Much as she loved us, she always wanted a space of her own. Let's go to Mistress's room."

When they reached a landing, in the middle of the flight of winding stairs, Fuji gestured for them to sit. Ryoma automatically went for the bright spot of moon light on the window ledge, a long and large wooden sitting bench that curled at the edges, red pillows decorating it. Fuji settled on a cushion seat.

"We used to sit here, reading old books, talking about modern inventions… Mistress particularly liked the invention of electricity; she always made Tezuka tell her the story of the lightning and the kite. Did you know she was there behind a tree when Benjamin flew the kite? She was always so curious; despite her age, she never seemed to age as much as we did."

Ryoma nodded to Fuji, "Did the house like her?"

Fuji looked surprised, this Ryoma is impossibly predictable. He was always on a different frequency; Mistress was the same.

"The house? It was passed down in her family. I know not much of it, except that the house was queer around her."

"The house was her inheritance, among other things. It is a witch-house. A house supposedly to house witches." Tezuka appeared from behind a pillar, so quiet none of the two seated heard.

Fuji smiled adoringly at Tezuka, "Tezuka was here before me."

"Your Mistress was a witch?" asked Ryoma.

"Before she was a vampire, we supposed. She never talked about the past. If we so daringly said, she could have cared less for the past and more for the present and none of the future. She was what you could term as 'lazy' in today's context."

Atobe appeared behind Tezuka, "Talking behind Mistress's back? Tezuka was always the daring one to pin-point Mistress's faults. Mistress was queer around the house. Things appear and disappear according to her will and her bloodline was different than other true vampires."

Ryoma thought it was interesting that the house recognized him; maybe he really was the incarnation? Then he'll keep that piece of information to himself, no point getting these dangerous vampires all riled up about him being the incarnation then killing him when they realized he is a fraud. Not to mention they were the ones who first called that claim. Vampires were not reliable, Ryoma had decided.

At least there was a house as his ally. The house, seemingly to hear his thoughts, purred in reply.


End file.
